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BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN -- "BORN TO RUN"

bulletWriter: Bruce Springsteen
bulletProducers: Bruce Springsteen and Mike Appel
bulletRecorded: August 1974 at 914 Sound Studios in Blauvelt, New York
bulletReleased: August 1975
bulletPlayers:
Bruce Springsteen -- vocals, guitar
Garry Tallent -- bass
Ernest "Boom" Carter -- drums
David Sancious -- keyboards
Danny Federici -- organ
Clarence Clemons -- saxophone
bulletAlbum: Born To Run (Columbia, 1975 )
bulletAlso On:
Live/1975-1985 (Columbia, 1986)
Greatest Hits (Columbia, 1995)
Live In New York City (Columbia, 2001)
The Essential Bruce Springsteen (Columbia, 2003)

bulletBruce Springsteen recorded the Born To Run album under stress, since his first two albums had sold a combined 90,000 copies.
bulletThe song was recorded in advance of the album during a session at 914 Sound Studios in Blauvelt, New York. It was one of the last of Springsteen's recordings coproduced by then-manager Mike Appel and to feature E Street Band members Ernest "Boom" Carter and David Sancious.
bulletShortly after it was finished, Appel leaked copies of "Born To Run" to a DJ in Philadelphia, then to stations in New York City and Boston, while the album was still being recorded, which created a buzz and heightened expectations for the album.
bulletFormer Hollies singer Allan Clarke was impressed enough by the song to record a cover version and release it in the fall of 1974 -- before Springsteen's own version came out. (In 1975, the Hollies would also release "Sandy," a cover of Springsteen's "4th Of July, Asbury Park (Sandy)." The group's version peaked at Number 85 on the pop chart, better than any Springsteen single had done to that point.)
bulletColumbia spent an estimated $150,000 advertising and promoting the Born To Run album, a huge sum for a relatively unknown and unsuccessful artist. Part of the campaign included maneuvering Springsteen onto the cover of both Time and Newsweek magazines in the same week in 1975.
bulletSpringsteen acknowledged his lofty ambitions for the song in the liner notes of his Greatest Hits album, calling it "my shot at the title -- a 24-year-old kid aiming at 'the greatest rock 'n' roll record ever.'"
bulletHe told biographer Dave Marsh, "The most important thing is the question thrown back at 'Born To Run': 'I wanna know if love is real.' And the answer is yes."
bulletGuitarist "Miami" Steve Van Zandt joined the E Street Band during the Born To Run sessions, after Springsteen asked him to arrange horns on "Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out."
bullet"Born To Run" peaked at Number 23 on the Billboard Hot 100.
bulletA "Born To Run" video featuring concert footage was released in 1987.
FAST FORWARD:

 

bulletVan Zandt, who now goes by Little Steven, left the E Street Band following the 1984 album Born In The U.S.A. to work on a solo career. In addition to the albums he's released, he's also made a name for himself through several endeavors, including as an actor on the HBO series The Sopranos.
bulletSpringsteen dismissed the E Street Band in 1989, although he reunited with them, briefly, in 1995, and for world tours in 1999-2000 and 2002-2003.
bulletDrummer Max Weinberg has a steady job for the downtime between projects with Springsteen -- he's the leader of the Max Weinberg 7, the house band for NBC's Late Night With Conan O'Brien.
bulletSpringsteen was inducted into both the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the Songwriters Hall Of Fame in 1999.
bulletSpringsteen has since reissued Born To Run in an expanded, deluxe three-disc package to mark the album's 30th anniversary.
bulletSpringsteen has announced a new album with the E Street Band to be released in October, called Magic. He is also expected to tour.
bulletListen all this Week for your Chance to Call in and Register to Win Tickets to See Bruce Springsteen at the Scottrade Center in St. Louis, Saturday August 23rd...PLUS...Backstage Passes to meet Steven Van Zandt of the E Street Band!!! Winners announced Friday Morning during the Morning Show on B104.3!!!